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India Today
7 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
How India's Op Sindoor and Israel's Op Rising Lion were similar
A tenuous ceasefire holds for now between Israel and Iran after a 12-day war that began with Israeli jets striking Iranian nuclear sites. Israel's Operation Rising Lion came just weeks after India's Operation Sindoor. There are similarities on the ground and the way both countries crossed lines that were never crossed May 7 aerial attack on terror camps in Pakistan came after Pakistani and Pakistan-trained terrorists killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam, south Kashmir. Israel sent jets to target nuclear facilities inside Iran, a country whose leadership has threatened the very existence of the Jewish the India-Pakistan mini-war lasted for three days before the Pakistani DGMO sued for peace, the Israel-Iran war continued for 12 days. The damage to civilian infrastructure in the military conflict in the recent Middle East conflict was massive are sharp contrasts in how both the operations were carried out, and in how the US engaged militarily by sending its B-2 stealth bombers. But the parallels between India's Op Sindoor and Israel's Op Rising Lion are remarkable too.1. INDIA, ISRAEL JETS STRUCK INSIDE ENEMY TERRITORY"India attacked terrorist camps and military infrastructure inside Pakistan using the Indian Air Force (IAF). Israel did the same inside Iran, using the Israeli Air Force (IAF) on a far bigger scale," defence expert Sandeep Unnithan tells India Today India's case, this was the first time that its fighter planes hit targets in the heart of Pakistan -- in Punjab -- since the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Unlike Israeli fighters, Indian jets didn't cross over into the Indian and the Israeli air forces used precision-guided munitions to carry out the attacks."Obviously, the recent 88-hour India-Pakistan conflict was much more limited than the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict, but in terms of messaging there's a strong parallel," reads a post on X by author-columnist Sadanand both cases, says Dhume, "...One side (India, Israel) crossed previously uncrossed red lines, and inflicted much more damage than the other".2. THE IRAN, PAKISTAN N-FACTORThe nuclear factor is also common in both operations."Nuclear-armed Israel attacked Iran to prevent it from getting nuclear weapons. India attacked nuclear-armed Pakistan, and called out Pakistan's nuclear blackmail," explains Operation Sindoor, India called out Pakistan's nuclear bluff and exposed the narrative that it was the nuclear weapons that prevented an all-out war between the two countries. The N-tag couldn't prevent the 25-minute operation when Indian fighter jets struck inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied operation, later joined in by the US, was targeted at keeping Iran away from nuclear President Donald Trump claimed that Iran's sites targeted by the US had been "totally destroyed", American media outlets, quoting intel reports, said the setback was targeting the Nur Khan airbase in Chaklala, India signalled it could decapitate Pakistan's nuclear command centre."Pakistan's deepest fear is of its nuclear command authority being decapitated. The missile strike on Nur Khan could have been interpreted... as a warning that India could do just that," The New York Times quoted a former US official familiar with Pakistan's nuclear programme as saying.3. IRAN, PAKISTAN AIR DEFENCES PUT OUT OF ACTIONAfter Pakistan targeted Indian defence and civilian areas, India retaliated and put its air defence and air bases out of China-made air defence systems failed miserably, and India used its indigenous BrahMos missiles to turn Pakistani military runways into Swiss neutralising the air defence system at Lahore, India opened the skies over the Pakistani capital, showing it could strike at didn't just indicate, but put Iranian air defences completely out of action. That was also the reason why the American B-2 bombers could go on a 37-hour mission to strike targets inside Iran.4. PAKISTAN AND IRAN'S PROXIESThere are similarities even in the pain points of India and the time it was created, Pakistan has tried to bleed India through proxy terror groups. Israel, too, has been a victim of Iran's non-state actors."India has accused Pakistan of rearing non-state actors like LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Israel has accused Iran of rearing anti-Israeli proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis," says the Pahalgam terror attack, carried out by The Resistance Front (a front for the LeT) made India carry out Op Sindoor, it was the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in which over a thousand people were killed in Israel triggered the fresh cycle of violence that culminated in Operation Rising tackling the proxies, both India and Israel went full hammer against the states sponsoring was a doctrinal shift for India, while for Israel, it was a continuation of the 'Begin Doctrine' -- the willingness for anticipatory strikes against Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) capacities in perceived hostile nations.5. THE CEASEFIRE, TRUMP AND WARNING OF MORE ACTIONPresident Trump jumped to declare that his administration had brokered a truce between India and Pakistan, like he did in the case of Iran and has rejected the claims, and said it was a call from the Pakistani DGMO on the afternoon of May 10 that led to the the case of Iran and Israel, Trump's claims of a ceasefire was left in tatters after Iran fired missiles into Tel Aviv after the US President's claims of a truce and Israel said it would in the India-Pakistan mini-war, Pakistan breached the ceasefire in the initial hours, sending in swarms of similarity in both operations continues despite the ceasefire has asserted that Operation Sindoor hasn't ended, but remains suspended."The enemy [Pakistan] should not be under any illusion... Operation Sindoor is not over yet," Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding that India's response to terror attacks would be decisive and Sindoor is the new normal, as India would be treating any terror attack as an act of war against asked on June 25 if the US would strike again if Iran rebuilt its nuclear enrichment programme, Trump responded by saying, "Sure", reported Reuters."Iran will not enrich -- the last thing they want to do is enrich," he insists on its right to a peaceful civilian nuclear the triggers to how they were carried out to the messaging, there are similarities in both India's Op Sindoor and Israel's Op Rising Lion.- EndsTune InMust Watch
India Today
21-06-2025
- India Today
British F-35 fighter jet's surprise stopover in India explained
An F-35 fighter jet from the British Royal Navy made an emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram due to a technical snag—and it's still parked there 5 days later. The aircraft, part of drills over the Arabian Sea, triggered memes, aviation chatter, and even diplomatic curiosity. India finds itself host to the world's most advanced (but grounded) jet. Watch this episode of Words of War as Dev Goswami and Sandeep Unnithan decode the F-35, a jet surrounded by controversy. Watch the video to learn more. #F35 #TrivandrumAirport #FighterJet #LockheedMartin #UKRoyalNavy #IndianAirspace #AviationNews #Defence #MilitaryTech #KeralaNews
India Today
21-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Iran-Israel conflict: How we got here and the Pakistan angle Ft. Sandeep Unnithan
The Middle East is on fire. Again. What began as Israel's retaliation against Hamas after the October 7 attacks has now exploded into a multi-front conflict involving Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and now Iran. In this episode of In Our Defence, veteran journalist and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan joins host Dev Goswami to break down how the war escalated so dramatical, and what it means for the region and the world. The two look at Iran's underestimated military, its dual-army structure, and the massive blow dealt to its leadership in just the first week of fighting. Why does Israel seem so unbending, even at the cost of global condemnation and regional chaos? And could any of this be happening without backing from the US? Dev and Sandeep also explore the philosophical irony behind Western nations - especially the US - dictating nuclear rules to countries like Iran, even as they maintain massive arsenals themselves. Is this another chapter in global double standards? And finally, the two unpack a surprising development: Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir's meeting with Donald Trump during his US visit. Could this signal a renewed American effort to position Pakistan as a behind-the-scenes player in the Israel-Iran war? Produced by Garvit Srivastava Sound mixed by Rohan Bharti
India Today
14-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Red Terror or Dead Terror Ft. Sandeep Unnithan
Inside India's Fight Against Naxalism | Is This the End of Red Terror? | Ft. Sandeep Unnithan In this deep-dive episode of In Our Defence, veteran defence journalist Sandeep Unnithan joins host Dev Goswami to unpack India's decades-long battle with Left Wing Extremism (LWE) — often called Naxalism or Red Terror — and the recent decisive push to eradicate it by March 2026. Dev and Sandeep explore the evolution of the Naxal movement from its origins in Naxalbari in 1967 to its spread across India's infamous 'Red Corridor', and the multi-pronged strategy that has brought the insurgency to its lowest levels in decades. Key topics include: The historic neutralisation of CPI (Maoist) General Secretary Basavaraju in Operation Black Forest The spike in encounters and surrenders in 2024–25 Why counter-insurgency in jungles is as deadly — and complex — as high-tech border warfare. Why the Indian Army was never deployed against Naxals — and what could have happened if they had. The role of urban intellectual support in sustaining the movement — and why that's now faded. This episode is an eye-opening look at one of India's longest-running internal conflicts, now seemingly entering its final phase. Tune in. Produced by Garvit Srivastava Sound mixed by Rohan Bharti
India Today
12-06-2025
- General
- India Today
Video explainer: How ill-fated Air India 171 crashed
Air India Flight 171 with 242 people on board crashed near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport shortly after taking-off on Thursday in Ahmedabad. The aircraft, bound for London Gatwick, took off from Sardar Patel airport at 1:39 pm and reached an altitude of 190 meters before the pilot issued a mayday call. The plane then lost altitude rapidly, crashing into a hostel in Meghaninagar. This marks the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in service. So, what may have caused the crash? Watch as India Today's Sandeep Unnithan explains what may have caused the crash.
